The Ultimate Team
by Frazzuccino
Summary: The Earth is under threat once again. With the Avengers out of action, it is up to the team save the day. That's if they can save themselves first..
1. Sonic Wave

"This is the final gadget we have developed for you," Simmons told Agent Ward who was attentively studying the new device. "First of all, you have to put in these headphones to block out any sound waves. Once you've done that, you activate the device by clicking the remote and it will send a bullet rocketing outwards at twice the speed of sound. This will create a sonic wave which I, well Fitz has concentra-"

"Can you just simply tell me what it will do?" interrupted Ward impatiently.

"Yes... Of course," responded Simmons, a little taken aback. "It will knock out anybody chasing behind you within a twenty metre radius as well as taken out any glass structures. I should warn you, use it wisely as it can only save you once. Oh and good luck with the mission. You're going to need it if you are to get back in one piece."

With that Agent Ward placed the device in his backpack, nodded in appreciation and left the lab. Getting new gadgets was secretly one of his favourite parts about getting a new mission though he always found that when Fitz and Simmons described the science behind it, it was awfully tedious. He had never been one to understand why things worked the way they did. Maybe that's why he had done so badly in school. If it involved violence however, he excelled. There was nothing he would rather do then beat up a couple of thugs, rescue a damsel in distress and take all the credit. That was his forte.

When he reached the central control room, he was not surprised to see Agent May, Agent Coulson and Skye to be examining the layout of a compound which was displayed on the table.

"Glad you could join us Agent Ward. I'll go over the plan once more to make sure you don't forget anything" spoke Coulson in his usual authoritative voice. "Agent May will lower the plane until we are travelling at approximately 2000 feet above the ground at which time Agent Ward and I will jump out and parachute down. We should land on the building at the far left where we will then enter through the third floor window. This building is connected to the main one through a series of tunnels which I expect will be heavily guarded. Once we reach the main building, the weapon we are to capture is sealed somewhere down in the dungeons. An extraction team from SHIELD will then meet us and escort us out of the premises and into safety. Any questions?"

Silence followed and so he ran his eyes back over the pictures again. Although he didn't show it, Coulson hadn't been this nervous in a very long time. In fact, the only time he had been this anxious was last year in New York where he had died albeit for a few seconds. He knew just how crucial this mission was and the consequences if they failed to pull it off. There was no point in telling the team just how important it was. They were stressed enough already.

"We're approaching the compound," said May, breaking the silence that had forged between them. "We'll be there in 5 minutes. I'm going to go and take manual control."

She left the room in a single sweep, ignoring the eyes of her fellow comrades.

"What's up with her?" asked Skye curiously. "She doesn't seem like her usual self."

"She's frustrated," replied Coulson after taking a deep breath. "She wants to be on the ground where she can dictate what's happening. Instead, she feels helpless stuck up here but she is the only one able to fly the plane. She doesn't have a choice. Before I forget, this is your new comm. Keep it in at all times and we'll inform you what is happening on the ground. Well Agent Ward and I should go and prepare for the drop."

"Good luck," said Skye as he left leaving her alone with Ward. She turned to him. "Be careful. I would hate to get a new supervising officer who wasn't as vain and reckless as you."

"Is that really what you think of me?" replied Ward with amusement laced into his voice. "Well at least I'm not a self-proclaimed computer hacker genius who tried to gain information from the largest and most secretive intelligence force there is."

Smiling to himself, he left the room and walked hurriedly to the back of plane where Coulson was already waiting. He quickly fastened his parachute onto his back just as the door began to open. Below them, it was pitch black with only a couple of distant flickers of light. Cold air swept into them, numbing their bodies which were already swarming with adrenaline. Coulson looked like he was going to be sick. The green light suddenly flashed above them and they were soon tumbling down to Earth.

Coulson counted in his head. "One, two, three"-the roar of the wind was unbelievable. "Four, five, six"- he could see Ward close to him. "Seven, eight, nine"- the lights below were getting brighter as the ground shot towards them. "Ten!" He pulled his chute. Nothing happened. "SHIT!" He pulled his emergency chute and was relieved when it sprung into life. This was why he hated skydiving.

Just above, Ward was gently being lowered downwards towards the complex. He landed perfectly on the side of the building and quickly detached himself from his parachute. He looked around on the rooftop, searching for Coulson. There was no one else there.

"Coulson where are you?" asked Ward urgently over the comm.

"On the building roof," replied a familiar voice. "Where are you?"

"I'm on the roof," said Ward who started looking around wildly again. "I see no sign of you though."

At that moment, Skye's voice sounded over the comm. "Ward you idiot, GPS shows that you've landed on the wrong roof. You're going to have to make your way over to the right one."

Ward held his head in his hands. Out of all the times he had skydived on missions, he had never missed the target zone before. Of all the missions in which to miss it though, this was the worst. He began to climb down the side of the building, checking his compass on the way down to make sure he was travelling in the right direction. Ahead of him, five guards were casually sitting beside an open grate fire with rifles resting on their laps. He could easily take out three of them before they could respond though the last two could prove problematic. Then he remembered that he had the sonic device. Quickly placing it down in front of him, he inserted the earphones before pulling the trigger. Nothing happened. He studied it carefully to see what the problem was only to discover that it had a fingerprint sensing unit. He removed the gloves that he was wearing and pressed it again.

Although he couldn't here it, he felt the force of the wave cascade over his body. The guards were instantly knocked out and collapsed in front of the fire. His path to the last building was now clear and he picked up one of the fallen rifles incase he needed it. He sprinted forward till he got to the front of the last building, only to find a ton of glass lying on the ground and a very unhappy looking Coulson. His mouth was moving but no sound was coming out until he remembered to remove the earphones.

"-everyone knows we're here." finished Coulson clearly angry about what had just taken place. "Too late now, we better get a move on before they find us."

The door was very old, rusted and had a forest of ivy growing up its side. Thankfully, the lock had disintegrated and swung creakily open when Coulson pushed it. It was pitch black inside; not even the moonlight through the open door was able to pierce the darkness. They made their way down into the cellar where the walls were stacked high with old kegs. At the far end, there was a wooden hatch which led down into a dirty and muddy tunnel.

"We should put on our infrared lenses, just incase," suggested Coulson as he placed his above his retina. Suddenly, his view went from total darkness to a college of colours as vibrant as the rainbow. He led the way along the tunnel, ignoring the putrid taste of dirt which hugs in the air. Up ahead, the tunnel broadened out into a massive chamber which was easily a hundred feet long. At the very centre, a massive machine was whirring in action and vibrating violently. It was surrounded by a dozen guards who were facing outwards in every direction.

"There's too many to fight," observed Coulson. "We're going to have to find another way to get it."

"That's why I picked up this," replied Ward as he aimed with the rifle and shot the first person dead. Chaos followed and after a moment of intense gunfight, Ward and Coulson stepped into the chamber. The bodies were lying all over the place and pools of blood were beginning to gather.

"Did you know I wanted to be an archeologist when I was younger?" Ward told Coulson. "I love a tomb. What is that device anyway? Fitz... are you getting this?"

Harsh static sounded over the radio before Fitz's voice crackled in. "Looking at the device, I would say that because of the way it is wired up and vibrating that it is some sort of electromagnetic pulse generator. It will send out a wave of electricity which could disable anything from a nuclear warhead to... a plane. We have to land as soon as poss-"

The signal cut out and all that they could hear was static. Meanwhile the generator continued humming as its movement rapidly became more vigorous.

"We've got to turn it off!" shouted Coulson, his voice straining to be heard. He began looking around for any sort of button or lever which he might be able to press. All of a sudden, the generator suddenly powered down and it came to a halt. "What happened?"

"Well I turned it off at the wall," replied Ward smugly. "For a machine of its capabilities, it is very easily switched off."

"What have you done?" Fitz voice crackled back through the comm. "Whatever you do, don't shut it down!"

"Too late," said Coulson concernedly. "What happens if you shut it off?"

"Well if you turned it off mid cycle, which it sounds like you have done, then the generator might not be able to power down properly meaning that it is likely to overheat and explode. If that were the case, I would give you five minutes at best. You need to get as far away from the compound as possible."

That was all they needed. They shot back up the same tunnel which they arrived in as shouts filled the cavern behind them. Up ahead, Coulson could make out three figures at the end of tunnel, their body signature glowing red through the infrared lenses. He pulled out his pistol and quickly shot all three of them.

"Was that not the extraction team?" asked Ward concernedly while continuing to move.

"No. The extraction team only had two members," responded Coulson. "There were three of them at the end of the tunnel." Sure enough, the bodies were all covered in the same decrepit uniform along with the standard assault rifle. Local guards. Up the ladder and into the cellar they climbed, closing the hatch behind them with a bang. In the corridor, they found two more bodies, stone cold with blood pouring out of them. These were different though, with battle rifles being the weapon of choice rather than assault rifles.

"The extraction team," affirmed Coulson, reading Wards thoughts. "Seems like they were ambushed when they arrived. The fallen guards not far from here would have been a clue to find them. Quickly now, we only have thirty seconds left."

They sprinted out of the building and away from the complex. Behind them, a huge explosion shook the sky with a massive force. The light from the blaze shone as bright as the sun and the heat was unbearable even though they were far away from the source. In the distance, a cars headlight blinked into life as a smile formed on Coulsons' lips. His work here was done.


	2. Blueprint

"So what do we know so far?" asked Coulson during the usual post-mission debriefing. "We know that an electromagnetic pulse generator was being held in a secure location by guards wearing Czech uniforms. The rifle Ward brought back was examined and it was revealed to be an assault rifle used by the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The compound itself is currently owned by the Arkansas restoration foundation who was hoping to build houses on that land. I doubt that they had any idea of what was going on there. Fitz, Simmons, do you have any more information regarding the device?"

"We can tell you very little without seeing the device or any blueprints of it," reported Fitz. "The technology that it was using could easily be created providing you had the right sources and a substantial amount of money. In other words, I'm pretty sure that it is human made and not extraterrestrial. Apart from that, there isn't much more I can tell you."

"Well it just so happens," said Agent Ward smugly with a smile forming on his lips, "that I found this piece of paperwork on a desk inside the building which I originally landed on." He took out a folder containing several separate sheets stuck together with a paper clip. On the first sheet, a diagram of the machine was drawn accompanied by several scribbled notes.

"I shall start reading through them straight away," Fitz remarked with a quiver of excitement in his voice as though he was being handed an early Christmas present.

"I don't like this, I don't like this one bit," stated Skye as she gave the document an unwelcoming look. "This document which is so important was just left lying around unguarded in an empty room. That's not to mention the distinct lack of guards that were present at the base. If I had a weapon that could cause such massive destruction, I would have as many troops protecting it as possible."

"Now hold on a minute," injected Ward angrily. "'A distinct lack of guards you say? If you were down on the ground with us, I doubt you would be saying that. I must have taken out at least two dozen men!"

"Skye's right," concluded Coulson. "We were lucky that you only had to take out two dozen men. If the weapon was guarded by SHIELD in a top security bunker, then several hundred troops would be protecting it. I also find it uneasy how you found the document as it is unlikely that anyone would leave anything of significance just lying around. What do you think Simmons?"

"I'd guess that the lack of security could suggest two things. Firstly, that there is more then a single version of this machine and so losing one would not be a major problem. Secondly, the generator is just the first type of weapon we know that they have and they could have more dangerous and deadly machines hidden from us. As for leaving the documents behind, I see no real reason why they, whoever they are would leave them for us to find. Therefore I assume that like any typical human, someone must have forgotten about them and left them behind."

"There's not much more that we can do at the moment," said Coulson with an air of exasperation in his voice. "I expect us to be arriving at head quarters in around half an hour. You're all dismissed and May, can I have a private word in my office please?"

Agent May followed Coulson out of the command centre, down the corridor and into his office. The office was like any other office you would expect; a black, leather chair was situated behind a sturdy wooden desk. An electronic interface was placed on the desk, with a neatly sorted pile of mission documents lying on the side. The only difference really to any other office was the lack of photographs. Not a single personal picture appeared within the room. Coulson sat down on the sofa arranged against the far wall and was swiftly joined by May.

"How are you?" he asked caringly as they looked into each others eyes.

"I'm alright," she replied. "I'm still pissed off at you for the last mission though. I knew you were terrified of skydiving, particularly when it's dark and you still haven't fully recovered from dying yet. I'm worried about you. You haven't had a proper holiday to recover as Tahiti doesn't count. We need go somewhere once this is over. Somewhere you can just relax."

She leaned into kiss him and he complied passionately, as though this was the very first time which he had done this. At that very moment, the door was flung open and Fitz stepped through the threshold.

"Sir, you will not believe this. When I was looking thro-" he stopped suddenly as he realised that May and Coulson were in a deep embrace. They broke off immediately and looks of embarrassment filled their faces. "I'll just wait outside until you finish up in here," he said nervously as his face turned blood red.

"No, don't go," Mays voice called out. "I have to go and land the plane." Without waiting for any response, she stood up and left the room, brushing Fitz's shoulder as she went.

Coulson gave Fitz a stern stare. "You may not repeat what you just saw to anyone, understand?" Fitz nodded earnestly. "What was it you wanted to tell me anyway?"

"Umm... Oh yes," hesitated Fitz. "The diagram on the front of the document is the most important part of it. At first I thought it was the drawing of the generator that you blew up. It isn't. Although it looks exactly the same, it is on a 1:1 scale. It's the same type of machine but it is significantly smaller. To make a machine that small and for it to be capable of withstanding the enormous force it produces, you'd need a material that does not yet exist on Earth. My guess would be that it utilises extraterrestrial technology which would be able to withstand that pressure. "

"It's only a plan," interrupted Coulson. "For all we know, it may just be that. There is no evidence to suggest that they do have any alien technology and that it actually works, is there?"

"Unfortunately there is," replied Fitz. "It doesn't explicitly state anywhere that alien technology is involved, but one word gives away that it actually works. At the end of the document, the word successful was stamped on it. I have no idea how they managed to get it to work, but there is at least another electromagnetic generator out there and this one is a lot more powerful."


	3. Mongolia

"Agent Coulson, nice to see you again," said a tall, skinny woman who was wearing a tight fitting black suit. She was standing in front of a desk that was littered with differently coloured files and documents. Massive screens took up the majority of the space on the walls; each one showing a different map and a different live video feed.

"Victoria Ward, I would love to say the same except every time we meet it is in dire circumstances," responded Coulson with a smirk. "You read my report I presume?"

"Oh yes," she answered quickly. "It seems like you were getting your fair share of action and you were lucky to escape alive. I noticed that you had destroyed a generator and gained access to a copy of its plans. By now I'm sure Agents Fitz and Simmons would have told you that the proposed final product uses foreign technology. This matches other intelligence we have gained by multiple raids on locations containing other generators throughout the world. 26 in total. We looked for a pattern and discovered that all these generators are located on land owned by Mr. Adams, a billionaire. He made his fortune selling antique artefacts on the black market. He was caught and is currently in jail but-"

A bright red sign suddenly appeared on a screen beside where they were talking in the Hub with the words RED ALERT. This was followed by a wailing siren which screeched off the walls.

"What's happening?" shouted Coulson, struggling to be heard over the alarm.

"We have a red alert," she replied. Coulson rolled his eyes. "The signal seems to be coming from Mr. Starks residence at 10-8-80 Malibu Point, Malibu, California. Apparently someone has forced their way into his house and taken him hostage. A SWAT team has just arrived at the scene and is beginning to investigate. I can get a live stream to the front of his house up if I just do this."

The stream was projected onto the screen directly behind them. Instead of seeing the grand house that was meant to appear, all they got was some fuzzy interference.

"They must have disabled the security cameras before they entered the building. A SWAT team won't be of any help if they managed to take Tony Stark," Coulson stated. "I'll leave straight away with my team to see what we can do."

"No," Victoria said resolutely. "He will be long gone by the time you get there provided that they do escape with him. The best thing for you to do is to head to Mongolia where Captain America is currently in the middle of a top secret mission. When you get there, retrieve him and take him to the nearest SHIELD base which is located in Singapore. I have heard a rumour that there might be a plot to capture all the Avengers. It would seem that it is true."

Snow stretched across the ground and wrapped itself around it like a blanket. The terrain was very mountainous with rugged peaks reaching out to the heavens. In the valley below them, there was an ocean of gigantic trees which blew from side to side forming massive waves. In the distance smoke could be seen rising from a point situated just below the highest peak at the other side of the forest. That was their destination.

"You couldn't have picked a colder spot, could you?" Skye complained with a shiver. She was wearing a massive fur lined coat with several thermal tops underneath.

"It's not that bad," replied Coulson looking down at his watch. "You should try going to Antarctica someday. This is nothing compared to there. Come on, it's only a few hours until sundown and we still have a lot of distance to cover."

They set off down the slope trying hard not to fall as the snow came up to their knees. It was unsuccessful however as Fitz was the first to go tumbling down the side of the hill. When he got to the bottom, he quickly rose back up to his feet while dusting the snow off his clothes.

"Oh it had to be you, didn't it?" Simmons teased him. "I hope you didn't break anything you were carrying. If you did, then it could prove to be problematic."

"Thanks for asking if I'm okay," Fitz responded indignantly. "Nothing broke. Well nothing dangerous anyway."

"Ssh!" May hushed as she stared into the depths of the forest. As they became quiet, the faint sounds of gunshots echoed from within. "I'll go and see if there's trouble ahead," she said before darting into the woodland.

"Fitz, look at the trees," Simons voice broke the silence. On the side of the nearest tree trunk was a black scar resembling scorched wood. Fitz approached it and began to examine it intently.

"The snow has been melted off and the wood has been burned right through to the centre of the tree. Going by the residual marks left and the area of burnt wood, a flamethrower was definitely used and if I touch it I would say it occurred aroun- Ouch! -Around a minute ago."

Fitz buried his burnt finger in the snow while swearing under his breath. A scream pierced the clearing from nearby. A woman's scream. Within a second, Ward took off in direction of the sound ignoring Coulsons order to stay.

"He never listens," Coulson commented angrily. "We'd better go and catch-up with them to make sure everything's alright." The gunshots were getting louder and louder as they went deeper into the forest before they arrived at a clearing. Bodies were lying all over the place, each of which was wearing a standard Czech army uniform.

"Looks like they got here before we did then," Skye said. A sudden movement up ahead caused Coulson to aim his gun directly in front of him. He lowered it a moment later as May and Ward stepped out from behind a tree.

"I see you found trouble then," Coulson spoke to May. "I must say you did a very thorough job of eliminating it."

"This wasn't my doing," May replied while taking in deep breathes. "Most of them were either dead or unconscious by the time I got here. I only dealt with those who were still standing."

"Captain America must be near," Skye stated. "He'll be heading towards where the smoke was. There wasn't enough for it to be a building to be burnt to the ground. It's probably just coming from an ordinary fireplace."

"She's right," May agreed with her. "Providing he just escaped from a trap, his belongings will still be in the village."

Darkness was beginning to close in on the world as they walked hurriedly through the remainder of the forest.

When they reached its fringe, they could see smoke piling out of the village as several houses vanished into flames. Several hundred troops were swarming all over it like ants and screams could be heard echoing across the valley. They were about 200 metres from the nearest building as it was torched into life. At the front of the village, a figure could be seen fighting wave after wave of troops, bravely defending it. Helicopters whizzed noisily overhead while firing torpedoes into the chaotic scene. How on earth were they going to save him?


	4. Captain America

"There's too many of them," May warned Coulson. "Even if we worked together there is absolutely no way that we could take them all out."

"I agree," replied Coulson. "What we need to do is to create a diversion to distract them so we can get Captain America out. Before that, the helicopters will need to be destroyed otherwise we're going to be a sitting duck once we move out into the open."

"Leave that to us," Fitz said happily. "I think I have the perfect weapon for that."

"Very well," continued Coulson. "Fitz, Simmons and Skye can stay here to do whatever Fitz is going to do. May and Ward can retrieve Captain America while I will go and keep the path clear for you to withdraw with him. We will meet up at the base of the highest peak just over there. Good Luck."

He sprinted away with May and Ward, leaving Skye with Fitz and Simmons. Most of the village was now destroyed with a thick plume of smoke climbing high into the air. Skye watched them until they had disappeared into the furnace.

"So what exactly is this weapon?" Skye asked. "It's not exactly like you're carrying a RPG in your backpack, are you?" She gave them both a quizzical look.

"Don't be daft," responded Fitz while rummaging through his backpack. "The weapon is a lot more sophisticated and is a thing of beauty. I would tell you what it was called but I don't know its name. I only recently acquired it. A-ha, here it is."

He pulled out a rather complex looking device from his bag. It was made out of Aluminium with glass lenses inserted at equal intervals.

"It basically takes in light from the sun and directs it through numerous paths," explained Simmons to Skye who looked completely baffled at how such a small item could take out a helicopter. "It then concentrates the light, a bit like in a Laser and directs it at the helicopter."

"Once it reaches the helicopter, that's where the magic happens," interrupted Fitz. "If you manage to hit the glass screen at the front, the light gets absorbed into the glass. A second later, it all gets released into the cockpit at once where the pilot gets blinded and bang, down she goes."

Fitz aimed the device at the helicopter and pressed the button which aligned the lenses. A scorch mark appeared on the side of the helicopter he had aimed at. Three times he tried, but each was to no avail.

"Shit," Fitz swore. "Why do I always have such terrible aim? It's the same with a gun, I can never hit anything."

"Let me try," suggested Skye. "I have a reasonably good aim according to Ward." Fitz carefully passed her the device and she directed it towards the helicopter. She pressed the button and a second later, light illuminated the cockpit. It began to nosedive before it smashed into the village creating a massive fireball.

"Careful!" Simmons warned her. "Remember that Ward and May could still be in there."

"I'm trying my best here guys," Skye said indignantly. "It's not easy to predict whereabouts it's going to crash." She fired again with the other helicopter this time taking a direct hit. It spiralled away from them before colliding into the forest at the far side of the village.

"Reasonably good aim?" Simmons spoke with a smirk. "That's Ward for you. We should go to the base of the highest peak now that all the helicopters are destroyed. We don't want to be the last ones there."

Smoke filled their lungs, burning them and making it hard for them to breathe. It began to clear as they managed to get to the other side of the burning building however the bitter taste lingered in their mouths. The heat was unbearable compared to the freezing temperature of the air.

Coulson turned left and hurried down what remained of the street, picking off a couple of soldiers as he went. Ward and May turned in the opposite direction and set off to the entrance of the village. Bodies were strewn over the ground, many of which were turned black by the flames. It was like hell. Screams echoed over the village piercing right into their bones.

Up ahead just behind the first house, Captain America was engaged with several soldiers who each carried a flamethrower. He held his shield high up in front of his body, protecting himself from the inferno that had claimed the lives of several innocent villagers. Flames billowed out in front of him preventing him from escaping. He was surrounded. All of a sudden, a helicopter crashed into the building beside them creating a shock wave which blasted them backwards. May took this unexpected turn of events to her advantage, quickly disposing of the enemy before they could clamber back to their feet.

"Thank you," Captain America groaned as he stood up and looked at them closely. "About time I got some reinforcements from S.H.I.E.L.D. Who is trying to kill me and what are they doing here?"

"No time to explain," May said "We have to get you out of here. Quickly, follow us."

Another explosion echoed behind them as the house collapsed into a pile of rubble. They met little resistance as they retreated through what remained of the village. Pools of blood were beginning to gather, staining the snow bright red. In the distance at the base of the peak, four small figures could just be made out.

"Are they your guys?" asked Captain America while raising his shield in preparation to attack.

"Yes, they're ours," replied Ward as he walked forward calmly, "I would appreciate it if you didn't beat them to pieces."

"Wouldn't dream of it, I-" he faltered when he recognised Coulson standing before. Shock flooded through his system as he tried to comprehend exactly what his eyes were seeing. "But you're dead!"

"Indeed," Coulson agreed with him. "Yet here I am. My death may have lasted a short time but the effect it has had on me will probably never heal. Plus you never signed the trading cards that I had spent years collecting. What exactly is your mission here Captain?"

"I'm afraid that's classified, even for you Coulson," Captain America told him. "I'm not to mention any details of the mission to anyone who isn't an Avenger or Nick Fury. All I can tell you is that I need to reach the top of that peak as fast before they catch me."

"Well we better start running," May said as several figures emerged from the flames. "They've spotted us and are heading our way."

The slope would have been hard to climb in normal circumstances but with the snow piled deep on top of it, it was near impossible. The steepness of it was soon taking an effect on their bodies causing all sorts of aches and pains. Behind them, the troops were getting closer by the second.

When they reached the top of the mountain, Captain America took out a transmitter that was hidden in the handle of his shield and buried it into the ground. The moment it touched the snow, it automatically activated giving out a red glow. This illuminated their surroundings which had been hidden by the night, showing that they were beside a cliff face which led down the other side of the mountain.

"My mission here is done," Captain America spoke to the team. "We're going to have to fight our way back to your plane."

Ward calmly reloaded his gun, preparing for the mass onslaught that was quickly approaching up the peak. Fitz was breathing deeply, trying to stop his hands from shaking as he held a pistol in front of him. They assembled in a semicircle in front of the transmitter, waiting for what seemed an age for them to approach.

The first wave hit into them from below, scattering the team. Captain America led from the front, knocking out five different troops with a single throw of his shield. Gunshots flowed between the two sides and echoed deep into the valley below. A scream filled the air as Simmons was hit by a bullet that knocked her backwards. Her body tumbled off the edge of the cliff and fell into the vast chasm behind them. A figure followed her a moment later, leaving the fight far behind as he was swallowed up into the darkness.


	5. Simmons

Simmons opened her eyes only to close them again as a blindingly bright light shone above her. After a moment, she raised her hand to block it and rose from where she was lying. The surroundings were very familiar to her and she recognised that she was lying in her own bed on the plane. On the cabinet next to the bed, there was a photo of her with her parents from the last time they had met. It was taken almost year ago.

On the chair beside her, Fitz gave a little snort as he dozed quietly without a care in the world. Simmons liked to watch him sleep; it calmed her down and reminded her of their time back at the academy. That was the best time of her life. No worrying about who would be shooting at her next or which nightmare was away to come true. Only science and Fitz. The two things she loved most in the world.

She tried to get up but a sharp pain punctured her chest causing a groan to escape from her lips. She looked down and saw a freshly made bandage around her chest. Flickers of images raced through her mind, the last of which was her falling into a dark abyss. She still could remember that intense feeling of dread which had flooded through her body that night. It was not a feeling that she had ever experienced before. How was she still alive?

"You're awake! How are you feeling?" Fitz couldn't keep the pure delight out of his voice.

"Alright," Simmons responded with another groan. "How long have I been out for and could you down the light, I'm being blinded here."

"Sorry," he replied. "It's two in the morning and I thought that it would keep me awake. Apparently not. You've been out for just over a week. We had to place you into a coma when we found you. You had lost a whole pile of blood and you were stone cold. If it had been 10 minutes later..." he trailed off and gave a small shudder. "It's Captain America you should thank for saving your life. He dived after you when you fell off the cliff and he somehow managed to catch you before you hit the ground."

"What happened after I fell?" Simmons asked.

"We'll it didn't take very long for us to take out the rest of the soldiers. Captain America took out most of them before he jumped. I thought you had died!" he began crying though he continued speaking through his tears. "We then searched for you and it took several hours to find you. It was me who found you. You were just lying there on the ground, unconscious with a blue tinge to your skin. I summoned the rest of the team and we took you back to the Bus. It took a few hours to reach the nearest hospital and you were slipping in and out of conscious the whole way. We waited there until you were strong enough to travel again and when you were, we left. That was about five hours ago."

"That means it must almost be Christmas," Simmons said while working out the date in her head.

"Yeah, it's only two days now," Fitz told her. "We're traveling to London right now and I'm sure we'll spend it there. At least it's better then last year, it was shit in the Rockies. Remember, we were there for weeks in the freezing cold before it turned out that the man we were tracking had perished several months before."

"I liked Christmas last year," Simmons injected. "I agree that the location wasn't the most exquisite I've been too and we didn't do very much but we did have some quality time together. Do you remember when you hid Coulsons card collection? He was furious and wouldn't talk to you for days afterwards."

"Oh yes," Fitz laughed at the memory of it. "It took him ages to find it. I can't believe he kept the cards in his safe when we went out during the day. It took me only a couple of minutes to crack the code and even shorter to find a decent hiding place. Anyway, I should leave you to rest for a while. Too much activity early in your recovery might prolong it."

With that, he planted a kiss on her forehead before getting up and leaving the room. Simmons was glad that he had left the room without a backwards glance, as her cheeks had blushed bright red.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next time she opened her eyes, the room was pitch black and she was all alone. The alarm clock beside her showed that it was half three in the morning meaning that it would be at least another few hours before any of the team woke up. May was always the first to get up. Six o'clock on the dot, she would make her way to the gym before doing an hour of yoga followed by an hour of boxing with Ward. Coulson also wakes up at seven where he would catch-up on everything that had been happening when he was asleep. Next, her and Fitz would rise to have breakfast together where they would have an in depth discussion on any and every scientific subject. Skye was the last to rise and when she did, all she did was go on her laptop. She would spend the whole morning and the whole afternoon on it if they didn't have to go anywhere. The same cycle repeated every single day they spent on the Bus unless someone was injured or seriously ill.

The pain in her chest had significantly decreased from earlier as a fresh set of pain killers began to set in. She went to take another sip of water from the container besides her, only to discover that it was empty. The nearest tap was in the kitchens at the far end of the corridor and she was quite thirsty from not drinking properly for the last week. She rose from her bed and grabbed the container before slowly trundling out of the door. As she was walking along the corridor, groaning sounds caused her to stop outside Wards door. It took a second for her to realise what the sounds meant, and she quickly covered her mouth to prevent any sounds from escaping.

"Ssh!" Ward whispered from within his room. "Someone might hear you."

"Everyone's asleep, no one will hear us," a female's voice replied. It was May's voice.

Simmons did not want to be caught outside when they had finished so she buried her surprise and carried on creeping quietly along the corridor. When she reached the kitchen, she filled the container full of water before sitting down at a counter. She sipped it slowly, trying to make sense of what she had just witnessed. Ward and May were sleeping together? Sure it's practically impossible to meet anyone else due to the nature of their jobs, but their relationship could put the whole team at risk.

At that moment, the door into the kitchen swung open and in stepped a very hot and flustered May. She was halfway to retrieving a cup when she realised Simmons was sitting at the counter. Simmons swore that the usual expressionless face of May flicked with shock before returning to its ordinary, dull look.

"You should be in bed," May told her while pouring herself a drink. "It's only been a few hours since you left a weeklong coma. Once the painkillers wear off, this exertion is going to take its toll."

"I'm fine," replied Simmons even though it was far from the truth. Her head was spinning like mad and it took all of her willpower not to blurt out that she knew that May had just had sex with Ward.

"You don't look it," May said with a smirk. "Neither would I though if I had been the one that was shot last week. I've been shot a few times in my life and it took months for me to recover. You really should get back to your bed."

"I don't feel so good," Simmons complained while holding her head. Not for the first time, she slipped out of consciousness and was taken by the darkness.


	6. An Unwelcome Death

"This is the place?" Skye asked incredulously. "Despite all the wealth behind S.H.I.E.L.D, we're going to be staying in a rundown hostel in the middle of London?"

"Yes," Coulson replied sharply. "Staying in an expensive hotel is bound to attract attention to us and we have no idea if they are being watched. Nor can we go to the nearest base as it is too far from the centre of the city. Our best bet is to stay in this place. It has been owned by one of my friends for many years and she will not tell anyone that we're staying here."

Skye knew that there was no point arguing with him as he was always right when it came to these things. She was not the only one who wanted better accommodation as the rest of the teams' expressions made their feelings clear.

The hotel was located on the banks of the river Thames, just opposite from the London Eye. It was reasonably large with five separate levels but it was dwarfed by the skyscrapers standing next to it. The gutter hung loosely from the roof and was lined with several, lethal looking icicles. Many of the windows contained shattered glass which was in desperate need of replacing. The front door was the only feature of the entire building that could be deemed satisfactory. It was made from an elaborately fashioned wooden door with a single piece of stained glass inserted into it.

Coulson tried to ring the doorbell but no sound came out. He knocked loudly instead and a massive clatter came from within. A moment later, the door swung open and an elderly lady stood beaming before them. A flowery kitchen apron covered in flour clung to her frail frame. Her face lit up in ecstasy when she saw the crowd which had gathered in front of her door.

"I wondered when I would be seeing you again Phil," she said with a smile before embracing him.

"Margaret. How nice to see you. I would have visited before, but I've just been so busy working that I haven't had the chance," he replied as she dragged him into the hotel. "Is the business going well?"

"I'm afraid not. The only people you see in this part of London anymore are businessman like yourself who have plenty of money to flaunt. I get the occasional family or the leftovers if everywhere else is full so I can just scrape a living. I haven't had anybody stay in the last couple of weeks though, not since it started snowing."

They had now entered the cafeteria which consisted of several circular tables placed throughout the room. On each table, a placemat with antique cutlery was set out along with a decorative chalice. Cobwebs grew thickly in the corners of the room which badly needed refurbished.

"My associates and I were looking for somewhere to stay for the next few days and your hotel is just the sort of place I was looking for. We would pay you handsomely of course," Coulson added.

"I would be delighted!" Margaret said with delight. "It's not often I get to spend Christmas with other people. Well not since you killed my godforsaken husband twelve and a half years ago."

"You did what?!" Skye looked demandingly at Coulson but it was not him who answered.

"Yes my dear," Margaret responded. "I will ever be indebted to Phil for that. I'm just glad that he killed him when he had the chance. It's getting quite difficult to tell what is alien and what is not nowadays. If he had survived, then I would almost certainly be dead. S.H.I.E.L.D is the only thing that's protecting us from what's out there and I am therefore grateful to all of you. I'll show you to your rooms now as you must be tired. I would also redress that wound," she carried on while looking directly at Simmons, "It needs to be changed every four hours if you don't want to get an infection. Getting shot is a nasty business but many people die from not attending to the wound properly."

"How did you about my wound?" Simmons asked disbelievingly.

"It's pretty obvious from the way that you are walking," she stated. "I also have a low level telepathic ability that was transferred to me from my late husband. One of the few perks you get when you're married to extraterrestrial.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, May was the first to rise and it was her shouting which woke up the entire household. Coulson sprinted down the stairs to see her with Ward hot on his heels. On the floor beside the front door lay Margaret's lifeless body. It had turned blue with the cold and the blood beside her had frozen over. Her hands clutched a piece of paper which had been stained bright red.

"Oh my god," Skye said in shock. "Who could have done this?"

May bent down and picked up the paper, and read out what had been written on it.

"Tomorrow, midday, the old slaughterhouse on the north bank of the Thames."

She turned it over and on the back the number 7993 was scribbled in barely legible handwriting.

She looked up at Coulson to say what he had to say but he was still speechless. There was only one thing that could prevent him from losing complete control of the situation, and that was to fetch him a large brandy. He downed it all in one go and it did not take long for him to recover.

"We should never have come here," Coulson spoke for the first time. "How did they find us? That's what I don't understand."

"They?" Ward asked carefully, trying not to upset him any further then he already was.

"I would recognise that paper anywhere," Coulson said miserably. "That paper is from one of the largest Mafia groups in Europe. I have seen this entire scenario played out before. Say a major criminal wants to give a message to his enemies without giving away who he was. He would contact the Mafia who would write the message on a piece of paper of this specific design. They would then deliver it and leave it with a body so that no connections could be made between the message and the original sender. The question is who was the message originally from and what do they want from us?"

"I hate to interrupt," Fitz spoke, "but shouldn't we leave this place. They obviously know that we are here and what would stop them coming back and trying to finish off the rest of us. After all, if they did not think twice about taking the life of an innocent, elderly lady then what might they do to us?"

"They won't come back again today," Coulson answered. "If they wanted us dead, they would have done it during the night. Plus, how are we meant to meet up with them tomorrow if we're dead?"

"Do you think it's wise to meet up with them after what they have done?" May questioned him.

"I'll have to contact HQ first, but I'm pretty sure that they would agree with me," Coulson said. "We might at least find out who really is behind this and how they always seem to be ahead of us every single step of the way. They have chosen the location of the meeting which puts us at a disadvantage. Fitz, Simmons and Skye could you find out everything you can about the building and its surroundings. Ward and May, can you take Margaret's body to S.H.I.E.L.D.s base on the far side of the city so that she can be granted a proper burial. It's the least I can do for her. I'll contact S.H.I.E.L.D and let them know what's going up."

With that, Coulson stood up and headed towards the door before a hand on his back stopped him.

"Everything's going to be fine Coulson," May comforted him. "We'll find who did this and make them face the consequences."

"It's my entire fault and it's too late to fix it," Coulson spoke with a wavering tone. "I promised that I would look after her and now I will have to live with the fact that I broke that promise for the rest of my life. Nothing I can do will ever change that."


End file.
